It was a lot of walking.
Looking out over Washington DC from the Lee House at Arlington Cemetery
Robert E. Lee house
This land became a cemetery after 1800 soldiers were buried in Mrs. Lee's yard in rebellion against her husband. I looked forward to this day prior to the trip. I was anxious to see beautiful Mt. Vernon, in part because of probably my earliest childhood memory. My family lived in Manassas, VA when I was around four years old. At some point my dad's cousin and her family visited us, and we all went to Washington DC. I remember asking in an old house why the table was set where nobody lived. I wanted to see if my memory of that table which I believe was at Mt. Vernon was accurate. I saw nothing like it on our tour. We also visited the Lee house but did not go inside. In reviewing online pictures of the inside of the house, I now wonder if it was this house from where I have my earliest memory. I am not sure anyone who is still alive can confirm this memory for me, so it remains a mystery.
The flag remained at half staff during our visit in honor of former First Lady Barbara Bush
our bus group
We missed the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC but got to see some cherry blossoms in Arlington.
We had the distinct privilege of hearing from a tomb guard. It took him nine months to train for this honorable position. They are not allowed to smile during training - except in the kitchen. They have to be 5'10, and he was very clear that when visiting the tomb he wanted us to pay attention to the tomb, not the guard - to remember that there were thousands of family members who came to the service to bury the unknown soldier because those families did not know what happened to their serving loved ones.
Our school participated in a wreath laying ceremony, and I have to admit that when I looked out across that field and saw boy scouts standing at attention on the other side of the gate while Taps was played, my eyes might have leaked a little.
lunchtime and picture time for this pretty group - Alexandria, VA
Mt. Vernon
The boat dock on the Potomac at Mt. Vernon
We heard so much information that I can't possibly retain it all, but one of the most amazing stories we heard about Divine providence in the forming of our nation pertained to George Washington. In a battle were his unit was ambushed by Native Americans, losses were significant. Washington lost two horses beneath him, and everyone around him was wounded or died. He walked away unscathed but had four bullet holes in his jacket. Later the Native Americans told him that they knew he was destined to be a great leader when they shot directly at him and the bullets seemed to ricochet off of him.
Vietnam Wall
Our students made cards to leave at the memorial. We could not find Julia's, but this one belongs to her friend C - the same one who kissed her phone goodbye :)
Lincoln Memorial
Washington Monument
Lincoln Memorial
We also saw this Korean Memorial on this day. I think it is the best of the modern memorials, but I could not really get any good shots of it, and it was a quick walk through for us.
Thus ends day two. This day ended with one of my girls struggling with a headache, and bless her, she's not a complainer. We probably should have skipped the evening memorials for her sake.
It may be a few days before the rest of the trip days are loaded.
We met for breakfast at 7:00a.m. every morning and returned to the hotel at 10:00p.m. every night. It was a grueling trip for all, and as I type this on April 29th, I am not fully recovered. (I am backdating my posts to match the trip dates).
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